In the lead-up to the 2012 presidential election, France’s leader Nicolas Sarkozy, was preparing to deliver a campaign speech in Paris. Striding through the heaving crowd in Place de la Concorde, Sarkozy grinned and shook the hands of his cheering supporters. But halfway along, a realisation flashed through his mind. Without stopping, he whipped off his watch and surreptitiously tucked it into his pocket. The watch in question was a Patek Philippe 5140G-001 Perpetual Calendar in white gold with an opaline white dial. A gift from his wife – the former model and millionaire heiress Carla Bruni – Sarkozy’s watch had a value back then of 55,000 euros. Inevitably, Sarkozy’s sleight-of-hand act was caught on camera – you can watch his switcheroo below (forward to 2.05). Afterwards, he was crucified by the press for a gesture that was viewed both as proof of Sarkozy’s mistrust of his own people and the admission that his extravagant wristwear was inappropriate for a man in his position. Notably the man who ousted Sarkozy in the subsequent election, Francois Hollande, opted to wear a modest Swatch. Political leaders live in a world where every speck of their life is deconstructed and analysed to…
The post “If you don’t have a Rolex by the time you reach 50, then you have clearly failed in your life.” Remembering Sarkozy, the ‘Bling-Bling’ president appeared first on Time and Tide Watches.